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Preparing for CCNA

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by dudeirock

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So heres my dilemma.... I'm still considered somewhat of a beginner in this industry, about 2 years in with a degree. My next step is to start racking up some certs. I've decided that I don't want to dedicate myself only to being a Windows admin, so I'm going to start dabbling in LAN/WAN technologies. I have the basics down (I can set up a router and get two network segments to communicate). But I want to really know it all.

Here's my ?. I want to set up a router lab at my house so I don't have to spend hours at a school and thousands of dollars, but I don't know exactly what I need to get in terms of routers. I've been looking on eBay and have found deals for 3 Cisco 2501 routers and a 24 port switch for $200. I know thats a good deal, but is it what I need to prepare.

Please reply with your thoughts and/or comments here or feel free to email me.

Dudeirock5@yahoo.com

2 replies

by roger99a

The 2501 should do fine. The training classes are usually run on 2500's. RAM can be gotten from Kingston reasonably if you need to upgrade that. You biggest problem would be the version of the IOS.

by rcsoar4fun

I too am working on my CCNA and have found having the "real thing" is much better than the simulators. Don't forget you will also need cables and transceivers. Some deals on ebay are good, but be sure to compare apples to apples. If you can afford the 2600 series its worth considering as there is more growth ability.

Also watch the switch you purchase. Most of the cheap ones are 1900 series, which work fine. However, some do not have a full blown version of IOS, which makes learning some of the Cisco switch stuff difficult.

Kristopher

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